Hot For Teacher
by Dirty Reid
Summary: Love from someone unexpected is so much sweeter than expected love.


**

* * *

**

Hot for Teacher

**The Third Oneshot by Dirty Reid**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

* * *

Stillborn.

The word echoed painfully through the mind of Yuhi Kurenai as she sat on the cold hard dirt of training ground 8. Her normally cool and unemotional shell had shattered into billions of tiny fragments after hearing the horrible news that Asuma's child had not survived its passage into the world. For the past week she had cried for every waking moment of the day, neglecting her life, her peers, her work, her team. She could simply not stop weeping. The grief of losing both her would-be husband and then her child was too much to bear on the red-eyed beauty's shoulders. Many times, she had contemplated suicide, telling herself that she had nothing in this world left to live for.

Kurenai was so caught up in crying that she did not sense the familiar chakra signature of one of Konoha's most promising ninja.

Uzumaki Naruto was bored. Kakashi-sensei was off wherever he was when he wasn't training or on a mission with his team, Sakura had taken up working at the hospital for some of her spare time, and Sai was his usual emotionless and socially-awkward self. Naturally, Naruto didn't want to hang out with him. Even bingeing on ramen didn't help to cure his extreme case of boredom. He figured that a little bit of a slug fest would help him out. Imagine his surprise when he arrived at ground 8 to hear the sniffles and sobs of a woman crying. As he edged closer, he peered into the small ground. It was off to his right that he found the source of the cries of sorrow and pain.

It was Kurenai-sensei. She was sitting with her back to a tree, her knees drawn to her body. From his point of view, Naruto could see that her normally fashionably unkempt hair was now haggard and askew. She had been crying for a long time, if the small spots of water on the ground were any clue. The broken sobs that emanated from the female Jounin made Naruto's heart twinge for an unknown reason. Every thought that was going through his brain at the moment (Ramen, training, ramen, training, ramen, training, ramen...) immediately died and was replaced by a single impulse more powerful than a dose of Kyuubi's chakra.

_Go comfort her._

The impulse kept nagging in the back of his head until Naruto complied with it. Moving his unusually stiff legs, Naruto began a jerky walk into the training ground. His stride became smoother as he drew closer to the older woman. She seemed to be so caught up in her crying that she did not notice his approach. Even when he was three feet from her and crouching, she still failed to notice him.

"Kurenai-sensei?" he asked softly. Kurenai twitched and gave a startled little squeak before trying to back away in alarm. Naruto's mouth fell open a margin when he was able to see her face. Her eyes were bloodshot; making them not the beautiful red they normally were, but a darker, sadder crimson. Her eyelids were puffy and pinkish, signifying hours of crying. Rivers of tears flowed gently down her face. Again, Naruto felt an unexplainable twinge of pain in his heart. For a few seconds, the only sounds were Kurenai's occasional sniffs.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked hesitantly, feeling unusually nervous about being so close to Kurenai.

"(Sniff) M-my child... (Gasp) was stillborn." Kurenai managed to say before breaking out into another sob. Naruto didn't know a lot about children and childbirth, but he was fairly sure that 'stillborn' meant that Kurenai's child had not come out alive.

He didn't know why he did it. He didn't know how he did it. He barely _knew_ he did it. Naruto slowly inched forwards and wrapped his arms around Kurenai.

Kurenai hiccupped in surprise when she felt the warmth of a pair of arms envelop her. She opened her eyes to see a garish orange and black outfit and an untidy mop of sunny blonde hair. She quickly realized what was happening. Naruto was hugging her.

"Let it out sensei. It's okay." Naruto whispered. That simple gesture gave Kurenai a warm feeling inside as she leaned into the blonde, continuing to cry. She very slowly managed to wrap her arms around Naruto after a moment or two. The blonde simply held her tighter with one arm and began to stroke her back with his other. After a moment or two, Naruto slowly slipped his other arm under her legs and lifted her up. The blonde was surprised at how light she was. He wasn't sure whether it was just that she was a woman, or that she hadn't been eating enough. Regardless, he lifted her into his lap, making her hiccup in surprise. She remained wide-eyed for a second before she slowly lowered her head back into Naruto's shoulder. Naruto leaned back into the tree she had been huddled against as he shifted her into a more comfortable position for both her and him.

Time pranced slowly by as the blonde boy comforted the older woman. Resting his head against Kurenai's own, Naruto was actually surprised that he was so comfortable. Having fallen asleep nearly half an hour ago, the rhythmic pace of Kurenai's breathing was rather soothing. He didn't remember when, but Naruto slowly followed his superior into dreamland.

* * *

With a grunt that was surprisingly loud in his ears, Naruto was roused from his slumber. He narrowed his eyes to slits when the bright orange daggers of sunset slashed at his eyes. His ass was extremely sore and it felt like something blunt was stuck in the flesh of his right cheek. He tried and failed to sit up, thanks to a weight in his lap. Naruto looked down to lay eyes upon the peacefully sleeping form of Yuhi Kurenai.

'_She looks so peaceful when she's asleep,'_ Naruto thought. He twitched as he tensed when he noticed his hand had drifted while he was asleep and rested dangerously high up her left leg, almost touching her rear. As he slowly moved his hand away from the danger zone, he unintentionally stroked her thigh. A shower of cold pinpricks on his skin accosted him when Kurenai sighed and nuzzled into his chest before she opened her bleary eyes. She looked up slowly and smiled very faintly when she saw his petrified face.

"Naruto? What's the matter?" she mumbled, still working her way out of sleep. The tenseness vandalizing the younger blonde's face was slowly washed away to be written over with embarrassment.

"I-I thought you'd freak out on me if you woke up in my a-arms." Naruto stammered quickly. Kurenai said or did nothing for a moment.

"I couldn't be mad at the man who comforted me or offered to be my pillow." she said with a small grin when she called Naruto her pillow. Naruto didn't notice that she hadn't removed her hand from his chest, which had been there while she was sleeping.

"Despite being very comfortable, I really would like to go home before it gets dark out." Kurenai said softly before she removed herself from Naruto's warm lap. She stretched her stiff legs momentarily before she began towards her home. She was unprepared for Naruto to catch up and fall into step with her.

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously.

"We may not know or like each other or anything, but it's polite to walk a lady home." Naruto answered. Kurenai felt an unusual warmth in her cheeks.

"That's so sweet of you Naruto. Thank you," Kurenai said with genuine gratitude in her soft voice. Naruto gave her a small smile.

"You're welcome." he returned. The streets of Konoha were very near empty as the two walked together. No hateful or resentful eyes were laid upon the blonde Jinchuriki, merely curious glances as both civilian and ninja contemplated what the two could be doing together. Neither party spoke on the way to Kurenai's apartment, preferring a comfortable, mutual silence.

After a few minutes of quiet, sedate walking, the two reached Kurenai's apartment complex. At the door of her apartment, Kurenai turned to Naruto and smiled.

"Thank you for the comfort Naruto." Kurenai said again.

"No problem sensei," Naruto said in reply. He seemed unsure of something for a moment, if his averted eyes were any indicator. Kurenai was about to ask what was wrong when he gently took her hand and kissed it. He quickly released her hand and turned away in embarrassment. If he had turned around, he would have seen Kurenai blushing as she went into her unit.

It was only when she saw the picture that Kurenai's momentary content was blown away like a pile of leaves in a gale. The picture was of Asuma and her holding hands atop the Monument. Tears stung her eyes as she let out a rather loud sob before she covered her face with her hands and shed fresh tears. Naruto was one or two steps down the hall when he heard Kurenai's cry of pain. He turned about and hurried back to see the older woman hunched forward and sobbing. He looked to the small glass table and saw the photo of her and the late Asuma-sensei. With a small frown, he quickly slunk into the room and turned the photo face down. Before Kurenai looked up, he had wrapped his arms around her again and drawn her close. Instinctively knowing who it was, Kurenai clung to Naruto and nuzzled into his chest, crying harder. Naruto lowered his head, resting his cheek on the crown of Kurenai's own head.

The sky had faded to a dark violet when Kurenai's eyes had dried of tears and her body shook with weakness. Feeling her strength fading away, Naruto quickly scooped her into his arms, warranting a feeble yelp. He slowly walked down the tiny hall of her spotless home to the bedroom. The door was already open, so he jerked his hip slowly to the right to open it wider. The room had blank white walls, a futon that could fit two people with dark blue covers, a small desk and a large set of drawers. Naruto slowly laid Kurenai down onto the bed and remained for a moment as she stemmed her sniffling. When she made no more noise, he turned to leave. He was stopped when a gentle but firm hand gripped his wrist. Naruto turned around to see Kurenai's puffy eyes open and filled with a lonely look.

"Naruto," she whispered, her voice full of sadness and carrying a pleading tone, "... would you stay with me tonight?" she asked slowly. Naruto's face grew into one of abject surprise and terror as Kurenai made her request.

"I... I don't think I should be alone tonight. I just want you to stay here, nothing more." Kurenai reassured him. The colour that had been draining from Naruto's face slowly began to return.

"O-okay," Naruto said in a voice carrying a slight quaver, "I'll go and sleep on the couch." Kurenai shook her head.

"No," Kurenai sad in a quiet but final voice, "I couldn't leave you so uncomfortable after you were so kind to me today. I want you to sleep here, with me." Naruto's pale face turned bright red.

"B-b-but I don't have a-anything to sleep in," Naruto stammered.

"There should be some of A... _his_ sleepwear in the closet right outside. You can change in the bathroom to the right." Kurenai replied, stopping herself from saying the name of her late lover. Naruto slowly nodded as he exited the room and closed the door. He opened the closet and spotted the small pile of sleeping boxers that had once belonged to Asuma. He quickly looked through them and picked out a simple black pair. He stepped into the bathroom, stripped off his clothes and changed quickly. The boxers fit him quite well.

Naruto nervously walked back to Kurenai's bedroom and cracked the door open a margin. When he heard no protest, he opened the door fully. What he saw nearly made his jaw drop.

Kurenai was dressed in a white spaghetti strap t-shirt that was a _little_ too small for her, if her ample breasts almost falling out of them was any sort of clue. Over her waist and lower legs was a set of sleeping shorts that matched her top, showing a generous amount of her legs but leaving her perfectly covered. Against his will, Naruto Jr. started to wake up.

"Is something wrong Naruto?" Kurenai asked when the blonde did not move from the doorway. Naruto shook his head violently for a second or two before scratching the back of his head and smiling.

"Ah, no! I-I..." Naruto trailed off in embarrassment.

"Yes?" Kurenai prompted. Naruto swallowed as a hefty blush coloured his face.

"... I-I couldn't help but-but notice... um... how beautiful you are." he finished quickly. Kurenai looked to be caught off guard at the unexpected compliment but recovered with merely a small blush.

"Well, thank you Naruto. Come to bed, you must be tired." she said as she pulled the blue sheets from under her and gently patted 'his' half of the bed. Naruto blushed even more as he slowly approached the bed nervously. She noticed his nervousness.

"Don't be scared Naruto, I invited you into my bed. I'm not going to call you a pervert and kick you out if that's what you're thinking." she reassured him. Naruto nodded as he slowly laid himself down and got under the covers. He moved to turn away from her but halted when a small and warm hand rested on his wiry shoulder. He turned back slowly and got a good look at Kurenai's goddess-like face, made even prettier when he saw her small smile. He sucked in a breath when she did something he was not prepared for; she moseyed closer and nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck.

"Goodnight Naruto," he heard Kurenai softly mumble as she began to relax. Naruto slowly let out the breath he had been holding and began to breathe slowly, deeply, rhythmically.

"Goodnight Kurenai-chan," he murmured, unconsciously adding the '-chan' suffix to the older woman's name.

As the moonlight slowly disappeared behind a veil of clouds, Naruto closed his eyes and drifted off into the world with no end to happiness or limits of what to do, slowly wrapping his arms around Kurenai and drawing her closer to him as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

With a small moan, Naruto raised his head as the bright needles of light drilled past his eyelids and stabbed his tender retinas. He raised one of his arms and used his hand to shield himself from the bright sunshine piercing the room. He shifted his body and got quite a scare when someone else made a funny noise that sounded like 'Nooooo,' with their lips closed and moved around to nestle into him. Naruto remained motionless for a few seconds before he remembered where he was. He slowly turned his head to the side to get an eyeful of the gorgeous woman lying half on top of him.

Kurenai's hair covered the quarter of her head that was facing upwards, shadowing the remaining part of her face. Naruto's mouth curved upwards into a smile when he saw the content expression on her face coupled with a small smile. He craned his neck when he felt some friction on his legs. He turned red as thermometer mercury when he saw Kurenai's lower body was positioned between his legs in a way that would make anyone assume that the two were an intimately involved couple. He very slowly and meticulously began to move out from under her. It was a lot harder than he would have thought; Kurenai was very clingy in her sleep.

When he got her off him and slipped quietly out of the room, he picked up a robe from the bathroom and took a quick mosey around the apartment. It was meticulously clean. Almost _too _clean. There were no discarded articles of clothing lying about, the two or three magazines in the sitting room were stacked neatly on a small glass table, and the books in the bookcase were alphabetized by author, as were the movies, although they were alphabetized by title. Naruto slowly ambled over to the movie case to see what kind of flicks Kurenai liked.

'_Chick flick, mystery, romantic comedy, chick flick, slasher... what the-?' _Naruto stopped mentally reeling off the genres of the movies Kurenai kept when one in particular got his attention.

The production date on the old VHS movie was 2001. If he recalled his history lessons with Jiraiya, that was over... four hundred-and-thirty-two years ago.

'_I wonder how this film survived The Great Pandemic and all of the chaos with it.' _Naruto wondered. The Great Pandemic was in reference to the late 21st century outbreak of an unknown viral strain that had no defenses or cures. It made human lung cells deteriorate until they could not hold oxygen or transfer it into the bloodstream, effectively suffocating the victim. Some humans were immune to the virus' effects, but there were few to no medical professionals that could diagnose the factor that made them immune. Slowly but surely, the few humans that were left began to repopulate the planet, but minus a great deal of technology that had lost during the dropping dead phase of the pandemic.

But it wasn't the fact that the movie had survived the chaos with the almost-purging of the human race that surprised Naruto. It was what the movie _was_.

''_Assablanca'?' _Naruto read in bewilderment, _'Who would've thought Kurenai-sensei of all people would be into porn?' _he wondered. The XXX-rated video was a parody on the classic movie _Casablanca_, following the exact same plotline but with better effects, porn actors playing the roles and adding quite a few sex scenes.

Naruto was entertaining the idea of watching the video while Kurenai slept, sure that she would probably sleep the day away when he heard her open the bedroom door and start to come towards him. He paled as he tried to stuff the movie back into its place, succeeding just as Kurenai came into his sight, still in her sleep garb.

"Good morning Naruto," she greeted him with a perky air. Seeing her so unburdened made Naruto's heart lift slightly.

"What would you like for breakfast?" she asked out of the blue. Naruto actually took a moment to process what she had just asked him.

"W-what?" he stammered.

"I asked what you would like for breakfast," Kurenai repeated. Naruto shook his head.

"No, I can't stay for breakfast. Not after you being so nice to me last night. A-And besides, I have... a team meeting this morning!" he said after a very quick brainwave. Before she could say anything, Naruto dashed back to the bathroom where he had left his clothes, changed at top speed and practically fled from Kurenai's apartment. If he had stayed to watch her reaction, he would have seen her hair, which seemed to have regained some of its life, almost wilt with disappointment and her eyes dim. Had he watched covertly after fleeing, he would have seen her look up with a pensive expression on her face.

'_I wonder why he's so shy all of a sudden... he couldn't _like_ me could he?'_

* * *

Despite having rejected her kindness to him, Naruto still felt a mysterious obligation to see Kurenai through to happiness. He would find her every now and then to make sure that she was okay. He felt as though his task had eased when he observed her with her team a couple of times he found her. Some of the other times, he found her during one of her down moods, either sitting alone with a depressed look on her face, or sitting alone and crying. Naturally, he would approach and comfort her by picking her up and cradling her in his lap. She never objected to his approach and would always show that she appreciated his company by thanking him or giving him a hug before leaving. And though Naruto believed that he hid it well, Kurenai knew of the blush that would creep up on his face when she drew him in close.

Whenever Kurenai gave him a hug before he left her, Naruto felt his self-hatred rise from its already raised height, due to not being able to find or bring Sasuke back or win Sakura-chan's affection.

'_We can't be starting to... to... __like__ her! We're in love with Sakura-chan you idiot!'_ yelled the strange voice in his head when he stated to imagine Kurenai-sensei and him out on a date. For some odd reason, the voice always referred to both of them instead of just saying 'you'.

'_And besides, she's, like, twice our age... unless you add both of our ages, then it's appropriate... but that's beside the point! We're taken, and she's too old. Leave it at that!' _The voice said in a tone of finality. Still, Naruto could not help envisioning Kurenai-sensei and himself out on a date at some ritzy restaurant as he held a down Kurenai, gently rocking her like a newborn child.

"Thank you again Naruto," Kurenai whispered gratefully. Naruto smiled softly as he nuzzled against Kurenai's head.

"You're welcome," Naruto breathed in reply. A pregnant pause trailed the words of gratitude.

"I'd like to stay and keep comforting you sensei, but I was supposed to meet Baa-chan to get a mission about ten minutes ago." Naruto said abruptly as he gently set her down.

"Sorry to keep you Naruto. If it makes you feel any better, I'll take care of you if she hurts you." Kurenai admonished and promised quietly, bringing him in for a hug before he left.

"Thanks," Naruto said with a blush on his face before he quickly ran off. Kurenai watched him go with a dazed expression on her face.

If only she had seen the kunoichi hidden in the nearby tree turning her crimson lips upwards into a small smile beneath her ANBU mask as her long curtain of purple hair swayed in the lick of wind that had recently began to stir.

'_I think you just found yourself a new man Kurenai-chan,'_ said Uzuki Yugao inwardly.

* * *

To Naruto's surprise and relief, Tsunade bought his made up excuse, but subtly gestured for him to remain for a moment after Sai, Yamato and Sakura left to pack for their mission.

"Alright kid, I want you to tell me the real reason why you were late. Your excuse may have been better than Kakashi's, but it still wasn't foolproof; the sewer system in Konoha is way too small for an alligator to move through, and you can't wrestle worth shit." Tsunade pointed out, making Naruto smack his head.

"... Well..." Naruto paused as he started to turn red with embarrassment. What would Baa-chan do if he told her the truth?

"Yes?" Tsunade encouraged, leaning closer in interest. Naruto sucked in a breath and let the secret slip out.

"I was... I was... comforting Kurenai-sensei." Naruto breathed. Tsunade's eyebrows shot skyward; that was the last answer she expected.

"... So you heard about her child?" Tsunade asked with a sombre look on her face, amber eyes losing their twinkle momentarily.

"Yeah. I found her crying in the forest a couple of weeks ago. I couldn't just let her sit there and let her wither away, so I went and comforted her." Naruto explained, looking unhappy as he hung his head as his hair drooped over his face. Tsunade paused for a second before she looked at him curiously.

"What exactly do you mean by 'comforting her'?" Tsunade asked, one eye narrowed. Naruto looked at her blankly for a second before a look of comprehension crept over his face.

"NO! Nothing like... that! All I do is keep her company and hold her and stuff! I slept with her once but that's all!" Naruto sputtered, not realizing the double entendre he had uttered in his denial of Tsunade's claim that his 'comfort' was sexual in nature.

"You slept with her?!" she repeated incredulously, playing on his slip up before pretending to sniffle and wipe away a nonexistent tear. "My little boy is growing up," she said in a falsely tearful tone. Naruto had turned a nice cherry red colour.

"NO! I didn't _sleep_ sleep with her! I just slept in the same bed as her! She said she didn't want to be alone that night and asked me to stay and sleep in the same bed as her!" he protested. Tsunade's look remained for a few seconds before it returned to one of appreciation and caring.

"Relax Naruto, I was just joking. It's nice that you're caring for her kid. I actually haven't seen her for a little bit, so how's she holding out?" Tsunade asked, resting her head in her hand and leaning forward slightly. Naruto sighed, feeling relieved that Tsunade believed that he wasn't having sex with Kurenai.

"First time I helped her, she looked like she hadn't eaten in a week and probably wouldn't have stayed alive for much longer. She swings between depressed and normal now. I keep her company whenever I can." Naruto said, suppressing being proud of himself for helping someone so much. Tsunade could only grin.

"... Well, keep up keeping Kurenai happy Naruto. For now though, I think you should catch up with your team." Naruto's jaw almost dropped.

"Oh crap!" he exclaimed before he bolted out the door. Tsunade shook her head.

'_The job sucks, but the brat's always entertaining.'_

* * *

For some odd reason, Kurenai found herself watching Naruto re-enter the village after his mission, perched on the edge of a small apartment complex roof. She felt a small sense of ease knowing he would be there in the village.

There for her.

... Wait, where did that come from?

There for _her_?! How did a thought so possessive get into her head? Even more so, why was it about _Naruto_ of all people?! Asuma had passed just under ten months ago. She couldn't take another man so soon... could she?

NO! To choose anyone else within a year of her ex-lover's death would be an insult to his memory. Her mother told her that was exactly what she did after her father passed away. To add to it, she had to be sure he was age appropriate. Naruto was fourteen years her junior; far too young to even be thought about making the 'significant other short list'.

And besides, other women had had a bead on him for a very long time. Hinata was the first on the list. Probably the only one on the list, now that Kurenai thought about it. He was her inspiration; her light. He was the one who made her strong. It made Kurenai feel fuzzy inside when she envisioned Naruto and Hinata exchanging rings and vows, and later cuddling with two newborn twins in the hospital as she looked on.

Three issues always seemed to take sledgehammers to her visions of Naruto and Hinata as a couple though. The first was Naruto being so dense. He seemed to remain completely unaware of how to read body language or sense the emotional output of others, save in the heat of battle. Meaning? He always thought Hinata was always that shy around him, never pausing to think that she may show some form of interest in him. Kurenai had always been hopeful that someday Naruto would get a clue and realize Hinata's feelings for him. But Kami seemed to have a weird sense of humour, as her wishes never came true.

The second issue was Hinata's father Hiashi. The man may have softened up on Hinata in the last couple of years, but he was still as cold as dry ice when it came to her affairs outside of being a kunoichi. If Kurenai thought she knew a shred of his personality, she figured he would be the kind of man who would marry Hinata off to someone with the most connections or influence within the country. Or possibly outside of the country as a matter of fact. He wouldn't care if Hinata was interested in him or not: It would all be politics.

The third issue was Naruto's teammate Haruno Sakura. Naruto had been infatuated with the girl for years, never slowing his attempts to win her heart. Word on the ninja wire from Kiba was that it was Naruto's own sick sort of way to prove he was better than Sasuke. The blonde would simply not give up on his futile quest until he won her heart, blind to the feelings of one who actually loved him.

Kurenai knew the chances of Naruto ending up courting Hinata were pretty slim. She also, however, knew that the chances of Naruto knowing Hinata was infatuated with him were even slimmer. Naruto's chances of winning Sakura were far slimmer than him knowing of Hinata's love. And the chances of her considering courting Naruto were slimmest of all.

Kurenai was so caught up in her head that she again failed to notice the approach of a fellow shinobi. This time a closer friend.

"A little distracted eh 'Nai-chan?" asked a familiar voice that still made Kurenai almost jump out of her skin. She whipped around, clutching her pounding heart and breathing rapidly, to see the amused face of Uzuki Yugao.

"Don't _do_ that!" Kurenai snapped as some of the colour returned to her face. The cutely scared look on her face made Yugao start to titter. She desisted when Kurenai started to look angry.

"Sorry Kurenai. I just couldn't help but notice you taking interest in another man... a very _young_ man, if I may add." she said slyly while taking a quick look at Naruto, making Kurenai redirect her gaze as well.

"Y-you mean Naruto?!" she exclaimed, looking scandalized that Yugao had even thought of that. "Th-that's absurd! He's way too young for me! And besides, Hinata's in love with him! " Kurenai reasoned a little over emotionally. Yugao was not dissuaded in making Kurenai see the wisdom of choosing the blonde as her next man.

"How long are you going to keep hurting yourself Kurenai?" she asked sternly. Kurenai groaned quietly.

"_Please_ don't go into lecture mode, I'm really not in the mood for a reaming." she moaned exasperatedly. Yugao didn't seem to hear.

"I'm not going to stand here and ramble on about true love or any other bullshit relating to it Kurenai. I'm just going to ask you something." Yugao reassured her. Kurenai simply stared at her for a moment, waiting for the question.

"... Well?" she asked expectantly. Yugao looked away to the gate of Konoha, now free of any loitering shinobi, before looking back at Kurenai out of the corner of her eyes.

"What does your heart tell you?" she asked softly.

Kurenai didn't respond immediately. A glaze had formed over her eyes as she stared off into space. Yugao knew this look all too well; Kurenai was both thinking and caught up in a mental war between her two selves.

Her first self was her logical self. The self that she primarily wore on the outside, giving her the image of a level-headed and professional kunoichi. The logical half of her that had dominated for most of her life was screaming at her to slap Yugao across the face for even _insinuating_ that she could even be _entertaining _the idea of becoming interested in another man, much less one who was far too young for her.

The opposing army was her emotional self; the side of her that let her femininity trickle into her image; the side of her that nobody had ever seen. Not even Asuma. Kurenai herself had not let that side take control for so long, she actually barely remembered who she was inside her cool shell.

Her emotional self could be compared to a dumb blonde. A vapid, girly-girl Kurenai who wanted nothing more than to be like the kunoichi-to-be of the day. Meaning discussing men, giggling and living a life of decadence through pampering herself, finding Mr. Right, settling down and letting him love her before having two or three kids.

Yugao watched as Kurenai's face twitched between emotions, interpreting them as different parts of the emotional war going on in the other woman's head. For almost four minutes Yugao stood there and watched Kurenai's face twitch. She was entertaining the idea of going to get a cup of coffee from the roast shop that had just opened last year when several shinobi brought a pack of the addictive caffeinated drink back from helping a Kirigakure merchant ship escape a pirate raid. Ever since then, coffee had slowly become a trendy, must-have morning drink or hangover cure in Konoha.

Just as she turned away to fetch herself an extra large double-double (1), Yugao stopped mid-stride when Kurenai blinked for the first time in the five minutes.

"Well 'Nai-chan? What does your heart tell you?" she asked again. Kurenai took a deep breath.

"I think... Naruto's everything I want in a man. He's compassionate, charismatic, and he... I don't know how to say this, but he makes other people just... 'See the light'. He treats anyone like a human being, even if they don't deserve it. He's been pining for love all his life, but he's never considered what the signs of someone trying to love him may be." Kurenai said distantly. Yugao smiled softly.

"What will you do?" she prodded in a whisper.

"I..." Kurenai trailed of for a moment. "I... I want him to be in my life, but I need to do it carefully. I need to persuade him to give up on Sakura and show him I'm interested in him. Doing that will probably break Sakura's heart, because I figure that she only brushes him off because she wants more attention. But even if it doesn't hurt Sakura, taking him for myself will definitely hurt Hinata. I... I can't believe I'm saying this, but it's her fault that she didn't buck up and make a move sooner." Kurenai said more to herself. Yugao couldn't stop a smile forming on her face.

"I knew I could make you see the light sooner or later 'Nai-chan." she said cheerfully. Kurenai returned the smile. After a second of stillness, Kurenai did something rather unexpected.

She marched up to Yugao, grabbed her by both sides of her head and brought her in for a quick but forceful kiss.

Yugao's eyes were about to bug out of her head when Kurenai removed her lips and hurried away.

"Don't think I'm gonna make that a habit Yu-chan!" Kurenai warned her as she jumped off the roof.

"Rrrrrraaaowww..." Yugao purred like the tigress she was before smiling.

'_Tigress to H.Q., Tigress to H.Q., come in, over.' _she thought jokingly.

'_This is H.Q. Tigress; we read you loud and clear. What's the situation?'_

'_Mission accomplished,'_

* * *

Naruto walked casually through the forests of Konoha. He had just returned from his mission- which was a success- and been rejected by Sakura again. He knew she was warming up to him, just not enough to go out with him.

'_Be patient. We'll get her eventually!'_ the voice reassured him.

'_Honestly, who are you and why are you in my head?'_ Naruto mentally asked.

'_I'm you dude!' _it replied. Naruto's eyebrows went up.

"No way!" he said aloud.

"Yes way!" said Naruto unintentionally, but in a slightly huskier voice. Concerned, Naruto hopped up onto a large boulder by the pond he had wound up walking along. He crouched on the edge of the rock and stared down at his reflection in the stagnant water.

"... Okay... if you're _really_ me... what number am I thinking of right now?"cue sweatdrop.

"Do you seriously want me to answer that?"

"It's cuz you don't know isn't it, not-me!"

"... Wow... we're the same person and yet you still manage to scare me." said the voice from Naruto's lips sarcastically. For a split second Naruto could have sworn he saw his pupils getting larger when the other stopped speaking.

"I don't hear you answering the question." Naruto stated. This time he noticed his pupils shrinking just before the other voice spoke.

"Sixty-nine dude!" the voice exclaimed. Even though _he_ had said it, Naruto was still surprised. And it was at that precise moment that Kurenai decided to show up looking for him.

'_Who is he talking to?' _she wondered. _'And why did he just say that?' _

"Somehow, I'm still not convinced." Naruto said as he crossed his arms.

"How many times must I repeat myself? We're the same person! I just answered a question you asked me, which is essentially the same as answering a question you asked you!" he exclaimed.

'_Is he talking to __himself__?' _Kurenai wondered in disbelief.

"You're way too sarcastic to be me!"

"Dumb blonde..." he mumbled under his breath, still perfectly audible to himself.

"You racist bastard (2)!" Naruto insulted himself with an odd accent. Kurenai covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.

'_Only Naruto could insult and argue with himself.' _she thought.

"Umm... you _do _realize you just called yourself a racist right?" Naruto asked himself.

"Stop acting like you're me! 'Cuz I know I'm not you and I sure as hell know you're not me!" Naruto snapped. Kurenai was getting confused.

"Say what you want, but sooner or later you're going to have to accept that we are the same person, and nothing is going to change that." Naruto said in a final tone. Kurenai was starting to get a little bit creeped out by the man she had chosen to become her next when he started to smack himself in the head.

"Hey! HEY! Don't you ignore me you bastard! Come back so I can chew you out!" Naruto shouted.

"... Naruto?" asked a soft feminine voice. Not sensing the person's approach, Naruto almost jumped out of his skin.

"GAH!" he cried in surprise, whipping around very quickly and unbalancing himself. This unfortunately made him tumble forwards and land on his assailant, eliciting a cry from her as well as they tumbled to the ground.

The first thing Naruto noticed was that his head had been cushioned by two very soft objects. He wasn't certain, but he was pretty sure that he saw the frilly pink outline of something sticking out from underneath the white material covering the objects. His heart started to beat faster when he noticed the objects moving up and down faster and faster.

Naruto quickly processed that the frilly something was the edge of a bra. That meant that his face was pressed into a woman's breasts!

Naruto sprang away and landed on his ass, heart racing as he looked into the face of Kurenai. He wasn't sure if he was hallucinating or not, but he thought he saw some foreign emotion in Kurenai's expression. Something like... longing.

"S-sorry Kurenai-sensei! Y-you just scared me!" Naruto stuttered, shuffling backwards on his hands and knees a little bit.

Kurenai did not reply immediately as she readjusted her dress. She was still coming down from a small emotional high induced by having the man she wanted lying on top of her. And pressing his face into her chest to top it off! Feeling the one of her newly found wanting gave her a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest that lingered long enough for her to zone out and bask in the feeling, also making her miss what Naruto said.

"... Oh! Huh? What was that you said Naruto-kun?" she asked quietly in a sort of confused and distant voice. Naruto thought quickly about asking her if she was on drugs, but decided against it in case he offended her. He took notice of her strangely adding the '-kun' suffix to his name and managed to keep his blush down.

"I said I was sorry for falling on you like that, but you scared me. I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked as an after thought, concerned that his relationship with Kurenai would be damaged if he injured her.

"N-no, I'm fine but thanks for the concern. I was just wondering..." Kurenai trailed off and looked away, unable to meet Naruto's... gorgeous eyes. She felt her face getting warmer as she imagined those eyes on her as she undressed for him...

'_GAH! No pervy fantasies until I'm actually dating him!_' she reprimanded herself. Naruto noticed her looking away from him and blushing prettily.

'_What could she be thinking about?' _he wondered.

'_Oh dear God, maybe she's thinking about us!' _chimed 'Not Naruto', who was ignored by the blonde.

"Kurenai-sensei? You okay? What did you want to ask me?" he asked uncertainly. Kurenai looked back up, still with a small pink tinge to her cheeks.

"Um... I was wondering... just before we ended up... like _that_," she said, referring to him falling down on top of her, "... were you talking to yourself?" she asked with several pauses in her question before lowering her eyes ever so slightly. Naruto went pink in the face with embarrassment.

"Um... s-sort of. I was talking to... I really don't know how to describe it. It's sort of a more logical, sarcastic me that talks to me inside my head." Naruto said before lowering his eyes as his embarrassment increased. Kurenai looked at him strangely.

"A more logical version of you?" she repeated in interest. Naruto nodded, confused as to where she was going with this.

"Interesting... that almost sounds like me in reverse." Kurenai explained.

"'In reverse'?" Naruto asked.

"I guess we have a personality trait in common; two personalities. One is sort of locked inside us and influences who we are just a little bit. The other, we wear out on our sleeves. Me for example, I 'wear' my more logical self on the outside to be good at my job." Kurenai explained. Somehow, Naruto was not as surprised as he thought he should be.

"What's your 'other self'?" he asked curiously as he got up into a crouch. Kurenai looked side to side with just her eyes as though she thought they were being watched.

"C'mere," she told him quietly. Naruto, despite having a good deal of closer contact with Kurenai over the past month or so, couldn't help but feel shy as the beautiful woman asked him to come and sit beside her. She made it worse by supporting herself on one arm with her legs over to the side, making her look even more curved and beautiful as he came and sat down beside her. He turned redder than a ripe tomato when she leaned over and whispered into his ear.

"I haven't 'talked' to my other self for so long I've almost forgotten who she is. I'm fairly sure though, that my other self is kind of like Sakura and Ino in their early days as kunoichi." Kurenai whispered. Her breath was warm on Naruto's ear. Her whispering was, unfortunately or fortunately, Naruto wasn't sure, making him feel tingly all over. It felt almost like being immersed in a pleasantly warm hot spring. The feeling was offset ever so minutely by interest in Kurenai's 'other self'.

"L-like S-Sakura-chan and Ino?" he managed to whisper back weakly. Her voice somehow seemed to be sapping his strength.

"Mm-hm. She's a girly-girl whose goal in life is to settle down with a caring, compassionate man that will love us and our children until the day we die." she told him, getting closer to him by resting her head on his shoulder.

While not conventionally how he comforted her, Naruto wrapped one arm around to her right shoulder and rested his head against hers.

"So now, what, you're taking your girly side's advice and trying to find a new lover?" Naruto asked uncertainly. At the moment though, he could have cared less about the answer; he was preoccupied with wondering why Kurenai seemed to be so... so... _entranced_ by him.

"A-Actually yes." she answered quietly, looking away from him slightly. She didn't know why, but she was starting to feel just a little uncomfortable around Naruto. It was probably because she had come to terms with her feelings for him, and they were slowly growing. "And while we're on the subject of love, I want to ask you something."

"What is it?" Naruto asked softly as he raised his head to look at her. After a second or two, she turned her head and looked into his eyes. For a second, Naruto could have sworn he saw that sparkle of longing in her red gems again.

"Naruto... what do you see in Sakura?" she asked. Naruto backed his head away from her for a second, unsure that he had heard her correctly.

"Excuse me?" he asked.

"I said 'what do you see in Sakura?'" she repeated as she looked up at him.

"Why do you ask?" he asked her as he raised one of his eyebrows.

"... I'm just curious as to why you would feel for someone like her." Kurenai said slowly, knowing she had to tread carefully around this clearly touchy subject.

"Well, she's pretty and smart and..."

"And shallow?" Kurenai offered. Naruto looked at her strangely.

"How would you know she's shallow?"

Kurenai almost wanted to roll her eyes at the blonde's density. "Think about it for a second Naruto. Why did and why does she still want Uchiha Sasuke?" she asked him. Naruto's face went hard.

"... Because he's pretty?" he asked uncertainly. Kurenai nodded.

"Exactly. Sakura would rather love a man who is visually appealing than one who would treat her right, like you." Kurenai explained.

"... Are you saying I'm _ugly_?" Naruto asked, looking hurt.

"No! Not at all! I'm just saying that Sasuke is... um... more visually appealing than you." Kurenai reassured him. "My original point was, Sakura will never see anything beyond Sasuke's looks, and she will never consider how ugly his personality could be, no matter how much she denies it on the outside." she explained. Naruto looked a little confused.

"... So you're saying that Sakura-chan doesn't care about whether a man treats her right as long as he's really handsome? He asked.

"Exactly," Kurenai confirmed. "Which kind of takes away from her being so smart." she added with a tiny smile. Naruto did not mirror it. He instead looked as though he was watching his life flash before his eyes.

"... I can't really think of Sakura-chan not liking me more than as a friend..." he murmured quietly, deaf to the shrieks of 'Not Naruto' telling him Sakura _would_ fall for him. Kurenai heard him quite clearly. Now was the point where she had to ease off of pushing him towards giving up on Sakura. Now she had to ease her promptings to the gentlest of prods. Pushing him too far could bring him to an emotional breakdown.

"Well... this is just my opinion, but why don't you go ask her how she feels about you?" Kurenai suggested passively. Naruto gave her a quick little look that clearly held surprise.

"Wow, I never really thought of that before. Thanks for the tip sensei. I think I'll go do that." he gave her one last quick hug before he sailed off into the trees with an almost vulpine grace.

As she watched him go, Kurenai prayed that her assessment of Sakura's line of thought towards Sasuke was correct.

* * *

Naruto ambled away from Sakura's favourite tea house, hair devoid of life, head down and shoulders slumped. He had found Sakura in there, sipping a cup of tea all alone. He had hesitantly asked if he could talk to her, to which she said yes. He had almost not been able to work up the nerve to ask her his question for some reason. She had started to worry about him for a second before he bit his lip and asked her the question as casually as he could. She looked somewhat taken aback by the question, expecting something else.

"Well, you're a great teammate. You're always reliable and-"

"I didn't mean the question in a work sense. I meant what you think of me in an _emotional_ sense." Naruto corrected himself and cut her off. Sakura's green eyes widened a little bit when he clarified the question for her.

She had hesitantly and carefully told him that she did indeed enjoy being around him because he was very sweet and he made her laugh. Just when Naruto started to get his hopes up, she deflated him by saying that she only liked him in the way of a friend or a brother/sister. She never got a chance to apologize for hurting him, because Naruto had gotten up and ambled out of the tea house.

He was crushed. His one chance at love had just been shot from the sky and had fallen to the earth in a smoldering pile of slag. He always thought he was doomed to live his life without love and would die a lonely Hokage, but he had never embraced it as being reality.

Now he had no choice. No woman would ever love him.

Would they?

He plopped himself down against the tree in the Academy yard, beside his favourite swing and curled up in sadness, willing himself not to cry. He promised himself he would stop crying years ago. Just like he promised he would bring Sasuke back.

Another promise broken.

Naruto was so caught up in his swirling thoughts of depression and anger at having no one to love him that he failed to pick up the presence of someone he had become very familiar with over the past month or so.

"What happened Naruto?" asked a soft voice. Naruto looked up to see the pretty face of Kurenai looking at him worriedly. She only looked more worried when she saw his watery eyes.

"S-Sakura-ch... Sakura doesn't feel for me at all," he croaked weakly, a lump growing in his throat.

"You mean in the romantic sense?" Kurenai asked. Wrong question.

"Y-yes," Naruto said in an even weaker voice as he cupped his face and started to let the tears fall. Kurenai's heart panged painfully and she mentally kicked herself for her blunder. On the other hand, her girly-girl side was doing a little happy dance inside her: Naruto was all hers! She quickly recovered by closing the distance between them and wrapping the young man up in a comforting hug. Naruto froze up for a moment before he relaxed and returned the gesture.

One particular thing Kurenai did to him that she hadn't before was stroking his hair. It almost seemed like a more intimate gesture to Naruto.

Nah, it couldn't be. No woman would ever be interested in him... right?

"Don't be sad Naruto," Kurenai whispered, still holding him, "there will be other women out there that are right for you." she told him. Naruto sniffed indifferently.

"Yeah right. Every other woman in this village either hates me or wants nothing to do with me romantic-wise." he spat as he buried his face into her shoulder.

"... I wouldn't say that," Kurenai replied quietly. Naruto slackened his grip so he could pull back and look at her. She continued to let her arms rest on his shoulders.

"Huh?" he asked confusedly, "you know someone in the village who's interested in me?"

Here Kurenai's will started to falter. What would happen if she dropped the bomb at this point? Would Naruto embrace her interest and return it? Would he be offended by her feelings and reject her? Would he not react but never come to see her again? All of the possible outcomes were swirling through her head and making her nervous. Being caught up in her inner turmoil of a possible revelation or keeping her feelings to herself left her deaf to Naruto's questions.

"Kurenai-sensei? Hellooo? Sensei!" he said a little forcefully, drawing her out of her thoughts. She shook her head and looked into Naruto's eyes.

"Sorry Naruto. What were you saying?" she asked politely.

"You know someone else in the village who's interested in me?" he repeated. Kurenai swallowed nervously; it was time to take the plunge.

"Yes," she began slowly, "she's very recently recognized her feelings for you because she sees everything she wants in a man in you. She says she didn't want to speak up because she knew that you still wanted someone else." Kurenai poured out, having no idea where her words were coming from. Naruto's face had been lit up with hope as Kurenai told him of this 'mystery girl'.

"Who is this girl?" he asked with a small undertone of urgency in his voice.

"A grown woman actually," Kurenai corrected. Naruto's eyebrow shot upwards.

"Seriously? She's older than me?" Naruto asked in disbelief. Kurenai's face started to warm up.

"Yes..." she answered slowly, swallowing nervously.

"Do you know who she is?" Naruto asked with a spark of excitement in his voice.

"She's..." Kurenai cut herself off, fear gripping her and making her doubt about her decision grow. Naruto looked concerned.

"She's...?" he prodded questioningly, lowering his head but keeping his eyes fixed on her and raising his eyebrows.

"She's..." Kurenai repeated, her voice growing uncharacteristically weak. Naruto remained silent, his hope of finally finding someone who cared for him growing darker.

'_C'mon Kurenai, buck up! You said you wanted him, so TELL HIM YOU WANT HIM!' _her girly self screamed in an unusually mad voice.

"... Me..." she whispered so quietly Naruto didn't catch it.

"I didn't catch that. Who is she?" he asked again. Kurenai bit her lip forcefully and looked him dead in the eyes. The blonde was taken aback. There, in her bright red eyes was the longing he thought he had seen before. This time, it burned like a wildfire.

"It's me," she said more strongly. Naruto seemed to faze out for a moment before he shook his head rather forcefully and looked at her as though he were assessing an uncanny laboratory experiment.

"... Is this some sort of joke?" He asked indignantly. His doubt was worn a little bit when Kurenai reached up and stroked his cheek.

"No," she said softly, "I really want you to be my next man." she whispered as she kept stroking his cheek.

"W-why me?" he asked. "Why would you want someone liked as little as me when there are so many other men out there?" he questioned. Kurenai let her hand come to rest on the side of his face and looked deep into his eyes. Something in them sapped Naruto's ability to move completely. His eyes had no trouble becoming buggy when Kurenai leaned in slowly, tilting her head to the side and closing her eyes as she gently pressed her cherry red lips to his own. Barely a second passed before she removed her lips and giggled at his bemused looking expression.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked. Naruto had to blink hard once or twice to make his head stop spinning. That quick kiss had completely overloaded his brain, but in a good way.

"... Oh, hell yes," Naruto said as he looked into the older woman's eyes. Kurenai's face split with a smile when she saw a small spark of gratitude in the blonde's blue diamonds of eyes.

"But seriously, why me?" Naruto asked again, genuinely curious and blushing as he realized Kurenai had drawn him in closer.

"Because you're kind, charismatic, and no matter whom they are, you treat anyone like a human being." Kurenai told him. "That's everything I want in a man. Just knowing those details about you tells me that you will be a wonderful lover, and..." Kurenai trailed off for a moment. Naruto was about to ask her what else he would be when she answered.

"I know that, if we go that far, you will be a good father." she finished in the tiniest of whispers. Naruto was confused.

"How would you know I'm gonna be a good father? I'm not gonna get married for a long time." he pointed out. Kurenai was a little lost at the seemingly unrelated comment before she processed what he had just implied; he thought two people had to be married to be parents. Unbidden, the devilish side of her inner girly-girl woke up and started to smell the pheromones.

"You don't have to be married to someone to have children Naruto." Kurenai corrected him. The blonde looked perplexed.

"You can have kids if you aren't married?" he asked, sounding like the most innocent of children. Kurenai was doing her best to not laugh at his innocent naïveté when the devilish part gave her a prod that she didn't try to resist.

"Of course. I wasn't married when I had my baby." she explained as she leaned in and smooched him on the cheek, continuing down his jaw and eventually tickling his neck with her lips. Naruto didn't respond; Kurenai's electrifying lips had overloaded his motor functions.

Kurenai leaned back from laying kisses on his neck and lowered her head while grinning in a way that just made him weak in the knees. She got up from her knees, which had been starting to hurt and pulled him gently up.

"Come with me," she said in a sultry tone, gently clasping his hand and leading him away from the school. Somehow, Naruto knew something epic was about to happen.

* * *

Kurenai slowly ushered Naruto into her apartment and closed the door quietly. She set the keys down on the counter and slowly made her way back to him, wrapping her hands around his own. She stared dreamily into his eyes and smiled in happiness. Her dream was coming true.

"S-so, what happens now?" Naruto asked nervously. Kurenai smiled wider for a moment at his shyness. Her boy was lost and needed her to guide him.

"Well, we start by kissing," she stood on her tiptoes and gently pressed her lips to his. He was still for a moment before he returned the pressure and closed his eyes.

Kurenai smiled into the kiss and began to move her lips. Delight began to tingle in her when Naruto began to move his mouth in sync with hers. He gently released her hand and placed his right on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. She giggled into the kiss before she placed her free hand on the back of his neck and deepened the kiss. The two remained lip-locked for what seemed like hours before their lips parted with a faint smack. Naruto had a blissfully dumb look on his face that Kurenai just had to laugh at.

"What's so funny?"

"Your adorable face." she said before she jumped him and began to kiss him again. Naruto's hands darted to her legs to ensure that she didn't fall. Kurenai's sudden move had caught him off guard, but he had that desire to please, so he took it in stride.

"Move your hands up a little bit." Kurenai said in between kisses.

"But wouldn't I be-"

"That's the idea." Kurenai finished for him. Naruto hesitated for a moment before he began to slide his hands up her legs. His hands soon reached her rear, which he squeezed very gently. Kurenai moaned very softly into his mouth.

'_She likes it! Do it again! Hot damn, I'm starting to feel glad that we got rejected by Sakura!' _'Not Naruto' ordered. The blonde in control, after marveling how quick the little voice in his head changed his tune, complied and resumed his massaging of Kurenai's behind. He gently pinched and squeezed and rubbed the places that got the biggest rise out of his soon-to-be lover. She stopped kissing him after another couple of minutes and tossed her hair back before she opened her mouth and thrust her tongue through his unsuspecting lips. Naruto's eyes almost bugged out when she started to lick the inside of his mouth. When he didn't respond for a moment, she sucked her tongue back out and pulled her head back to look at him.

"Don't tell me that a couple little smooches and some nimble hands is all you've got sweetie." Kurenai asked more than she goaded. Naruto blinked hard before he slung his left hand under her to hold her bottom and used his right hand to stroke the side of her head. His hand trailed down her cheek and neck, coming to a halt on her chest when she started to twitch. Naruto looked into her eyes and grinned sneakily.

"Ticklish are we?" he asked rhetorically as he gently ran his fingers over her exposed skin again. Kurenai began to squirm and bite her lips to keep from laughing as he gently grazed her chest and legs with his hand. She quickly stopped him by starting another round of kissing, this time with a little tongue action from both parties, although more tentatively from the inexperienced blonde's side. Kurenai didn't mind though; it was probably his first time going this far with a woman.

"Mmm," Naruto broke the kissing round and looked into Kurenai's ruby eyes "You said we would start with kissing. What comes next?" he asked. Kurenai looked thoughtful for the blink of an eye.

"Now you carry me to the bedroom." she instructed. Naruto nodded and pinched her bottom one more time before he began his laboured walk to Kurenai's bedroom. He kicked the door open and looked expectantly at her.

"Now you set me down on the bed and I teach you foreplay." she whispered in a sultry voice. Naruto shivered as he set her gently on the bed. She positioned herself on one arm with her legs lying out to the side. She raised her free arm and beckoned him to her with one finger and a sweet little smile that promised the fulfillment of fantasies. Naruto returned the smile a little nervously as he crawled onto the bed. His eyes nearly popped out of his head when Kurenai slid her arms out of her sleeves.

"Care to take my dress off honey?" she asked in a simpering voice. Naruto cocked his head to the side. He wasn't sure where the pet names were coming from, but he didn't mind. They were actually a nice change from things like gaki, baka, dobe and pussy.

"Sure beautiful," he answered as he slowly reached for the fabric quite close to her nether-region and pulled it up slowly. Palest pink panties and a matching bra greeted his dazzled eyes as the black-striped white dress came free of Kurenai's body, along with the wrappings around her legs.

"Now you stroke me like this." Kurenai took hold of Naruto's right hand and drew him in close. She placed it on her left shoulder and brought it down over her skin. Naruto's mouth cracked open when she made his hand trail over her breasts and stop.

"Give them a little feel. Use both hands." she instructed him. Naruto was still for a moment before he lifted his left hand and used it to cup Kurenai's other breast.

Her two mounds were very soft, as Naruto found out while he gently kneaded the pale flesh. He was clearly doing something right, because Kurenai raised her head and sighed in pleasure, or was it more like relief?

"Something wrong Kurenai-chan?" Naruto asked. Kurenai let out a breath before she looked at him.

"You're pretty good for a first-timer Naru-kun... Or _is_ it your first time?" she asked shrewdly, leaning forwards and giving him a nice eyeful of cleavage. Naruto looked a little insulted.

"Of course it is! Ero-Sennin tried to persuade me into it a couple of times, but I wanted to make sure my first time was special, like this." he answered just a little indignantly. Kurenai's twinkling eyes grew a little brighter.

"That's so sweet of you Naru-kun." she said as though she had been genuinely touched by his words. She slowly reached behind her and seemed to be fiddling with something.

"Back on topic though. Now I take off more of my clothes." she said as she removed her bra from her shoulders. Naruto's eyes could not possibly get any wider as they became transfixed by Kurenai's luscious breasts. Her skin transferred from pale to paler very smoothly, making her darkened nipples and areoles stand out even more. Kurenai's lips curved up a little more when Naruto continued to stare.

"Are you going to keep staring, or am I going to have to stop your lesson?" she asked. Naruto blinked hard and fixed his attention on her twinkling eyes.

"Now I want you to suck on them." she instructed him as she rose up and positioned herself on her knees, making her breasts jiggle fetchingly. Naruto looked a little nervous. It was as though he thought he would hurt her somehow, or she would 'wake up' and kick him out. He gently crawled up closer to Kurenai and placed his hands under her breasts before he took her left one into his mouth. She gasped in pleasure as some of the pressure in her breasts was eased. Naruto's half-lidded eyes shot open and he pulled away from her breast. He seemed to be unsure of what to do as he looked from side to side frantically before he simply swallowed. The swallowing motion gave Kurenai the answer to Naruto's pending question.

"That was breast milk Naru-kun. A woman begins producing breast milk so they can breastfeed their baby. But if they go for too long without breastfeeding, they start to ache. I want you to help me out." Kurenai explained.

"Do you want me to spit it out... or swallow it?" Naruto asked uncertainly.

"Breast milk is very nutritious Naruto. I heard it's also supposed to taste good." Kurenai said, answering his question indirectly. Naruto shrugged his shoulders minutely before he moved back towards her. He took her left breast back into his mouth and applied gentle pressure. Kurenai sighed in pleasure and relief as Naruto began to ease the dull ache that had been there for the better part of three months. She couldn't help but let out a shuddering breath as his tongue flicked her nipple and quickly began to circle it. He looked up at her with his eyes quickly to make sure that the sigh didn't mean she was in pain before he pulled away from her left breast, swallowed the milk and switched to her right. Kurenai threw her head back and set her hand on the bed to support herself as she shook and moaned. Naruto grinned as he continued to suckle her breast. He would squeeze to draw milk, lick her nipple clean and switch after a minute. Kurenai kept shaking and moaning for the entire time, using one hand to steady herself and the other to grasp the back of Naruto's head.

'_This is incredible! And we haven't even gotten to the sex yet!' _she exclaimed inwardly. She slowly reached forwards and fiddled with his jacket until she found the zipper. She yanked it down so quickly that she startled Naruto. He drew away from her chest and swallowed the half-mouthful of breast milk he had drawn out of her. He watched without a word as she took his jacket off, followed by the white beater he wore underneath it.

His physique was pretty much what she expected from a sixteen-year-old. A tiny sheet of fat padded his stomach and concealed the trained muscles of his abdomen. His arms were not enormous pipes. Large arm muscles were discouraged amongst shinobi. They allowed the shinobi to hit harder, yes, but they weighed the shinobi down, decreased speed and made the person more of a target. But Naruto's arms were moderately defined and well-worked from years of training.

"Mmm, niiiice." she said as she ran her delicate fingers over his chest and belly, making him twitch.

"I'm ticklish," he told her, following a questioning look. He began to regret it when Kurenai grinned impishly and started to tickle him.

"Aaah! Please, no! Stop! Stop! AAAAHAHAHAHAHA!" Naruto started to laugh loudly as Kurenai tickled him mercilessly.

"Oh, but you look so funny when you're being tickled sweetie!" Kurenai said gleefully as Naruto fell backwards. She climbed over him and pressed herself against him. Her breasts squished against his chest and he looked deeply into her eyes. Naruto stared for another couple of seconds before he craned his head and quickly kissed Kurenai again. She giggled and quickly pecked him back before she reached down and began to fondle with the zipper on his pants. She felt something pressing against her thighs and she intended to release it. Naruto seemed a little surprised by her actions, and almost embarrassed when she pulled off the black boxers he had never bothered to return.

"... Well I'll be," Kurenai said in some sort of surprise, "you _are_ a natural blonde!" she exclaimed.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" he asked.

"Well, a few shinobi I work with have been questioning whether you're a natural blonde or you just dye your hair." she explained. Naruto looked highly affronted.

"Well now you can tell them!" he replied confidently. Kurenai shook her head.

"How do you think they would react if they knew I had seen you with your pants off? Better yet, do you think that they would wonder _how _I saw you without your pants?" Kurenai asked. Naruto's face turned into an understanding little frown.

"Ah. They would think that you were sleeping with me or something." Kurenai nodded.

"Not exactly something I would want to be common knowledge." she said before she took a look at the thing she had felt against her thighs.

Kurenai stared for a moment. Naruto Jr. was at full mast; all six inches of him. Kurenai gently wrapped one of her small hands around the blonde's shaft, making him jump.

"Shh, relax Naru-kun. This is where the lesson gets fun." she said before she moved her head over his member. Naruto's eyes, already impossibly wide, seemed ready to pop out of his head when Kurenai closed her lips over the tip of his penis and started to tighten. She slowly lowered her head, taking him in inch by inch. Naruto threw back his head and groaned in unbelievable pleasure.

'_Dear Kami-sama, if this is what it's like to lose our virginity I would have gotten us fucked a long time ago!' _Not Naruto exclaimed. If his penis got any harder, he was sure it would snap off. Fortunately, Kurenai raised her head back up and released him with a faint _pop_. She smiled at him, and Naruto could see something different in her red eyes.

Lust, compassion and... Was that a hint of _love_ he saw twinkling in there?

Kurenai quickly yanked Naruto's pants and boxers off, chucking them into a corner. She quickly sat back and raised her legs up.

"Now you take off the rest of my clothing." she instructed him, all the while smiling at him. Naruto could not help but smile back as he untied the wrappings around her legs and let them fall off the bed. When he took a look at her pale pink panties, Naruto noticed a wet spot in the crotch. He stopped for a moment and looked up at Kurenai.

"You didn't pee yourself, did you Kure-chan?" he asked. Kurenai stared at him for a moment before she chuckled a little bit.

"No. Women always get wet down there when they're aroused." Kurenai told him as he gently slid her panties off of her. He spared a glance at Kurenai's nether-regions. The slit in between her legs was dripping ever so slightly and the flesh ringing it was a deep pink, almost red. Out of curiosity, having had the theory put into his head by Jiraiya, Naruto leaned forwards and trailed his tongue along Kurenai's outer labia. She yelped in surprise and her hips bucked upwards, pushing her lips into his face.

"Ooh, you like that?" Naruto asked and proceeded to lick her outer kips a few more times. Kurenai let out a wail that sounded not unlike the cry of some bird. Naruto looked up at her in surprise, most likely because of the sound she made. His lips were wet with her vaginal juices. But unlike Jiraiya's claims of said liquids being sweet or sour or any combination of the two, Naruto did not care for the taste. But if it pleased Kurenai, he would just suck it up, both figuratively and literally.

"Ohhh, yes... yes... mmm, that's good..." Kurenai murmured as he kept licking her up. Feeling a little nasty, Naruto withdrew from between Kurenai's legs and looked up at her. The brunette looked down at him with a disappointed look on her face.

"Shouldn't we be getting to the good part?" Naruto asked with a cheeky grin. Kurenai returned it, but more gently and with a tender look of longing in her eyes. Naruto got up on his arms and knees before crawling over top of her. For a moment they locked eyes. Naruto's asked her if she truly wanted him to do this to her. Kurenai responded with a nod.

Naruto hung his head and carefully lined himself up. He slowly lowered his abdomen until the tip of Naruto Jr. was gently tickling her inner thigh. Kurenai jerked as Naruto's member tickled her but spread her legs farther to allow him in. Naruto lowered his abdomen further, pressing the head of his member against her womanhood. Kurenai sucked in a breath as the first inch or so of Naruto slipped into her. She gave a shuddering moan as Naruto sank completely inside of her. He was so warm, and he was nearly a perfect fit.

"Oh Kami," Kurenai murmured. Naruto seemed to be holding in a shuddering exhale as well. He slowly raised his hips and thrust back in slowly, getting used to the unique feel of sexual intercourse. Kurenai threw back her head, arched her back and moaned a little louder.

"Oh, that's gooOOood..." she breathed huskily. Naruto smiled a little bit and continued at his slow pace. Withdraw, thrust and repeat. As he kept his rhythm constant, Kurenai began to moan progressively louder until she was almost wailing with pleasure as she bucked her hips in time with his thrusts, causing her large breasts to bounce and making the sensation feel better for him as well.

Naruto couldn't help but allow himself to groan in pleasure as his member rubbed against Kurenai's warm inner walls. It felt like he was getting a massage for his penis, which was sending almost electrical jolts of pleasure through his body.

"F-faster!" Kurenai huffed as she tightened her grip around his shoulders. Naruto complied and began to thrust and withdraw from Kurenai at a quicker rate. He was rewarded with a greatly increased feeling of ecstasy, prompting a shuddering moan from him. She apparently felt it too, because her moans, gasps and wails came more frequently. Naruto didn't know when, but he had started to perspire sometime after he had started making love to Kurenai. She had as well, although even less than he had. Her waist was becoming damp from the tiny pinpricks of water that were stinging her skin all over. She stopped paying them mind as she raised her torso to kiss Naruto once again. He moaned into her mouth and she did the same, although she did it much louder.

Kurenai broke the kiss to throw back her head and wail in pleasure again. She was getting close, and judging by the way Naruto's mouth was hanging open and the more visible beads of sweat, he was approaching his peak.

"K-Kurenai-chan... I-I feel..." Naruto was unable to finish his sentence because of the electric flashes of ecstasy coursing through his body.

"That's good Naru-kun, I-I feel it too." Kurenai said softly through her gasps for air. "G-go harder! Please!" Kurenai begged, and getting her wish as Naruto thrust his hips into hers with greater vigor. Her wails became more frequent and gradually got sharper until she had climbed an entire octave.

"Yes! YES! Naruto, I'm-!" Kurenai cut herself off and arched her entire body. Her fingers dug into his muscular back, her legs snapped out of their bent state as she wailed one final time. Naruto felt an increase in liquid against his member as Kurenai's inner walls contracted, relaxed, contracted and relaxed again. The extra pressure caused a pressure overload and Naruto felt as though he was riding a lightning bolt.

"Kure-!" Naruto didn't even get her name out as his penis began to spasm. He felt something being squirted out of it, which he remembered was called 'semen', and shooting into Kurenai's body.

After his release, Naruto felt his strength leave him. He shakily lowered himself and rested his head on her squishy breasts. He was panting in mild fatigue, as was she. Naruto made a move to get off of Kurenai and make sure she wasn't uncomfortable, but her arms tightened around his shoulders and her legs gently wound themselves around his own.

"Stay and enjoy the moment," Kurenai whispered. Naruto eased his muscles and simply lay atop her, enjoying the pleasant sensation still tingling around his abdomen but fading quickly. Naruto simply enjoyed the warmth radiating from his partner's body and rubbed his face into Kurenai's breasts a little more, trying to get comfortable; sex tired him out a bit more than he thought.

"Sex is tiring, eh Naruto-kun?" Kurenai asked with a smile. Naruto raised his blonde head and nodded before he quickly pecked her nose. Kurenai giggled and responded in kind.

"What now?" Naruto asked. Kurenai looked at the clock at her bedside. 7:12 PM.

"Why don't we just go to sleep? The first time is always tiring, and I'm a little out of practice myself." Kurenai stifled a small yawn and started stroking Naruto's hair.

"Amen," Naruto responded quietly, giving her one final kiss before laying his head back on her breasts. Kurenai began to drift off herself.

"Thank you..." breathed a voice that made Kurenai stop lowering her head. She felt a tiny lick of air over her left breast, indicating that it was Naruto who had said the words of gratitude.

"... For making my first time special... Kanojo." Kurenai couldn't help but gape; did Naruto just call her his loved one? The thought made her feel fuzzy and warmer inside.

'_Yugao was right, he _is_ the one for me.'_ she thought before sleep claimed her.

* * *

Naruto murmured something as he awoke from his slumber. He immediately noted that he wasn't in his own bed, and that he was cuddled up to a very pleasant warmth. He raised his eyes from the flesh-coloured pillows in front of him and smiled uncontrollably at Kurenai's facial expression; true euphoria.

'_I must have made her pretty happy last night.' _Naruto thought as he slowly edged himself upwards and away from her breasts. He couldn't help but smile wider at the expression of wholeness on Kurenai's face. He blinked and moved in to press his lips against hers.

The gentle pressure made Kurenai shift and crack her eyes open. They opened wider when they registered the sunny face in front of her. A smile broke out onto her face before she leaned forwards and softly kissed him back.

"Morning sweetie," she purred quietly, tightening her arms around him in a hug, made awkward due to lying on her side.

"Morning Kanojo," Naruto returned, fully aware of using such a word now, and last night. Kurenai seemed to realize that as well.

"So you did mean to say that last night." she stated. Naruto nodded.

"Hai. Someone who welcomes you into their heart and bed deserves to be loved, especially when they need it too." Naruto told her quietly, stroking her soft, lily-white shoulders. Kurenai looked so touched at his words.

"That's so nice of you." she said sweetly, kissing him gently again. "C'mon, you must be hungry." she slowly got out of bed, went to her dresser and began searching through one of the four drawers. She pulled out a lacy white pair of panties, pulled them on and beckoned Naruto to follow her, completely ignoring the fact that her large breasts, still completely exposed, jiggled with every step. Naruto felt Jr. start to wake up again as he watched Kurenai's hips sway and her pleasantly round bottom do the same.

'_No. We had sex last night and I don't want to pressure her into doing it again.' _Naruto mentally reprimanded himself. But he found it hard to resist as he pulled on a set of white boxers from the closet and followed his love interest into the kitchen. His will got bent just that much more when he spotted Kurenai bending over to look for something in one of her cupboards. Naruto Jr. was almost at full mast again.

"How about some pancakes?" Kurenai asked. The word was unfamiliar to Naruto.

"Pan-what?" he asked. Kurenai giggled, making her girls jiggle again.

"They're a common Western breakfast. They only just made it to Konoha a couple of years ago. C'mere and I'll show you how to make them." she pulled out a small bag of some sort of mix, some eggs and milk, and an egg beater. She instructed him to crack the egg into the mix, which she poured into the bowl, then add the water and beat it up into a bubbly batter. Naruto did as he was told, but had trouble beating the batter. Kurenai looked up from heating the pan on the stove and shook her head while smiling.

"Here, let me help you." she said as she came up behind her blonde lover. Said lover blushed profusely when Kurenai pressed up against his back and her nipples, surprisingly stiff, rubbed against his back. She wrapped her hands over his and gently showed him how to properly beat the batter. Naruto mapped the motions out with his muscles and began to work with his own rhythm. For some reason, and Naruto was pretty sure he knew what it was, Kurenai didn't let go of him. Naruto stopped beating the batter and turned his neck sideways to lock lips with her again. He dropped the beater into the batter and turned his body so he could drape his arms around her, one hand resting on her lower back, the other a little higher up. Kurenai moaned softly into the kiss as she gently prodded his lips with her tongue. Naruto willingly opened his mouth, allowing her tongue in and thrusting his own into her mouth.

Naruto withdrew from the kiss reluctantly. "We don't want the place to go down in flames while we're making out Kure-chan." Naruto said with a fake sad face. Kurenai played along and stuck her lower lip out in a pout. They both shared a laugh before they finished making the pancakes and ate them with butter and blueberries. They took an inordinate amount of time eating their breakfast, due to the many kisses shared in between bites of food, feeding each other by using their mouths and whispering sweet little nothings to each other.

"Mmm," Naruto hummed in satisfaction as he patted his belly, "those were delicious."

"Thank you Naru-kun." Kurenai said with a happy little smile on her face. "I'm going to take a shower." she told him as she got up and began a walk towards her bathroom. Naruto nodded and picked up the dishes. He had placed them in the sink and turned to find his clothes when he saw Kurenai standing in the middle of the room, staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

"Are you coming?" she asked as she cocked one of her eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" he asked, politely nonplussed. Kurenai reminded herself that Naruto had never been asked by a lover to take a shower with them before.

"Come take a shower with me." Kurenai said to him, using one of her fingers to beckon him, along with that sweet little fantasy-fulfilling smile. She could actually see him getting an erection as he came to grip with what she was asking of him. He complied after a second or two, walking rather stiffly.

Kurenai entered her bathroom and waited. Naruto came through the doorway a second later, and was gifted with the sight of watching Kurenai's panties slide down her legs in a way that made him even stiffer. Kurenai smiled sultrily and slowly grasped the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down slowly, releasing Jr. from his cottony prison. Naruto reached over and turned on the water, stepping into the jet of steaming water when it was warm enough for his tastes. Kurenai followed shortly after.

Naruto gently wrapped her up once again, chastely kissing her lips and trailing a chain of pecks down her jaw, neck, chest and belly until he was kneeling and reached her womanhood. Kurenai made a little noise of surprise when he gave her a lick, and began to moan as he repeatedly trailed his tongue over her blushing vagina. She knotted her hands into his soaking hair, pushing him further into her clean-shaven crotch. Like the previous night, she began to go from moaning to wailing as she came closer to release, finishing with a full body spasm and a loud cry as she climaxed.

Naruto smiled into Kurenai's flesh as he lapped up her vaginal fluids, barely distinguishable in the chlorinated water gushing down their bodies. Kurenai looked about ready to fall to her knees, so Naruto stood up and wrapped her up in his arms. She was breathing heavily as she gently caressed his chest. Naruto simply enjoyed the mild tickle as he held his lover. After about fifteen more seconds, Kurenai stood back up.

"Naruto you naughty boy, we came here to clean up, not get dirty." she scolded him with no real reprimand in her voice. Naruto grinned.

"Well let me clean you up then." he grabbed a small bottle of shampoo (Tahitian Tropics Scented), squeezed a small glob of the transparent greenish goop into his right hand, rubbed it between his two hands and began to slowly scrub Kurenai's wet scalp. She closed her eyes and enjoyed Naruto's nimble fingertips scrubbing her head. When he had lathered her hair significantly, he allowed his hands to trail down her face and chest to cup her breasts, squeezing them gently. Kurenai sighed in pleasure again before she took the shampoo and responded in kind. Naruto enjoyed the feel of someone cleaning him with such love and care, followed by her soft fingertips trailing over his body. He snapped his eyes open when she gently wrapped her hand around Naruto Jr., making him get stiffer, something he thought was impossible at this point.

She softly stroked his wet shaft a few times before releasing him and picking up a bar of soap and a luffa sponge.

"Wash me," she commanded him softly. Eager to please as always, Naruto lathered the luffa up with suds and moved behind Kurenai to allow himself better access to scrubbing her body. His left hand used the luffa, while his right was used to stroke her body. he started with her thighs. He gently lathered her lily-white legs with suds and swirled them around in a feathery caress. He moved up to her abdomen, taking extra time to use his hand to stimulate her womanhood. Naturally, she moaned softly. He slowly moved up her stomach and chest, all the while pressing Jr. in between her legs.

Kurenai took the hint, but decided to tease him a little bit by taking a ridiculously long time to lather and scrub his body, fleetingly stroking his penis and making him mutter 'tease' under his breath. She gave him compensation by moving in front of him and leaning against the side wall of the shower. Naruto placed his hands on her waist and stood between her spread legs. Kurenai loosely wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again.

"Love you," she whispered, inaudible over the sound of the water.

"Love you too," Naruto said in equal silence, apparently able to read her lips. He spread his legs a little farther apart and moved his pelvis forwards, slowly pushing his penis against her vagina. Kurenai was slowly sucking in a breath and let it all out in a huff when Naruto finally penetrated her. He began pumping in and out of her at a moderate pace, faster than last night, but not enough so that he would only be able to hold on for a few minutes.

Predictably, Kurenai began to moan every time he thrust into her, eventually escalating to wails. Her fingertips dug into his back and she pressed her mouth against his shoulder, screaming into his skin. Naruto felt the pressure building in his abdomen and slowed his pace, wanting to keep pleasing his lover for as long as possible.

Sadly, Kurenai's muffled screams, her bucking hips and her sense of need proved powerful enough to counterbalance the speed of Naruto's thrusts. With a breathless groan he gave one final snap of his hips, emptying his seed into her. Kurenai had not come yet, but the feel of Naruto's cum swilling about inside of her was bringing her pretty close. Sensing this, Naruto thrust his hips forward very hard and pushed her over the cusp. Kurenai wailed one final time as her walls contracted in a wonderful orgasm.

Naruto remained inside of Kurenai, feeling himself slowly come down from his high, riding the lightning with his lover. Kurenai turned off the shower after a few minutes of resting and proposed that they get dressed and get back to the real world. When Naruto complained that his outfit was dirty, Kurenai lent him one of Asuma's outfits. Black tunic, black pants and a light vest to go over top of it. Naruto asked why she would give up something that belonged to someone who meant so much to her, to which she responded that realizing her love for him helped her get over Asuma. Naruto thanked her with a final kiss and a firm slap on the butt as they went their separate ways.

* * *

**3 Weeks Later**

"Y-You're WHAT?" Naruto spluttered. He and Kurenai were sitting in a less frequented part of Konoha's wood, where she had just revealed some startling information.

"That's right honey; you're going to be a father!" Kurenai chirped, showing him the positive pregnancy test. What little colour there was left in Naruto's face quickly left it.

"Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit, I am _screwed_! I'm never gonna be the Hokage now!" Naruto wailed hysterically, falling to his knees and holding his head in his hands.

"What are you talking about Naruto?" Kurenai asked, becoming worried about Naruto's current state.

"When Baa-chan finds out you're pregnant, she'll figure out it was probably me and kill me for being such an idiot! And if she doesn't kill me, Sakura will kill me! And if Sakura doesn't kill me, Kiba and Shino are gonna kill me!" Naruto continued on about who would kill him if the previously listed person didn't finish the job. Kurenai marched forwards and halted Naruto's pacing with a solid hand on his shoulder.

"Naru-kun," she said firmly, "Tsunade-sama isn't one to make assumptions. She won't find out until I start to show four months or so from now, and when she asks, I won't tell her. If you are as good an actor as I hear you are, you should be able to pass for innocent if anyone asks if it was you, which is unlikely." Kurenai instructed him. Naruto looked hesitant. His eyes darted around for a minute before he looked up at her.

"So... you're not mad?" he asked tentatively. Kurenai simply shook her head with a smile.

"Why would I be mad? I love you, you love me, and I know you will love our child just as much. No, I couldn't be happier Naruto." Kurenai beamed, love, happiness and tears twinkling in her eyes. Naruto's blue eyes began to water as he embraced his lover.

The uncertain future looked a lot brighter now.

* * *

**Almost Nine Months Later...**

Kurenai's screams of pain had ended almost eight minutes ago. The ensuing silence was even worse than hearing those pained cries of a woman bringing a new life into the world.

The Konoha Eleven and several Jounin anxiously sat in the waiting room. All of them had reacted quite strongly to Kurenai's surprise pregnancy.

Kakashi's book had fallen from his hands and landed on the ground as his extremely wide eye had started at the small bump in Kurenai's belly. He had said nothing, preferring to remain catatonic.

Team Eight had seemed to react in both shock and appall when they saw their sensei pregnant for the second time in less than a year, and by someone she refused to talk about. Team Gai had reacted in pretty much the same way, but with more shouts of the youthfulness of a new life being on the way.

Team Ten had been especially curious as to who the new father was. As usual, Shikamaru had his suspicions, but there was nothing conclusive to prove them. Ino had constantly nagged Kurenai to the point of having the Genjutsu Mistress show the Yamanaka girl why she had that title. Chouji was smart and kept his mouth shut.

Sakura and Tsunade had been a little more ambitious in finding out who the father was, attempting to subtly take some amniotic material from Kurenai to perform a paternity test in secret. Unfortunately for them, Kurenai always caught them and halted their attempts to find the father.

Naruto, as instructed, proved that he could indeed act as though he had nothing to do with Kurenai's unexpected pregnancy. He answered any questions or theories with just the right amount of uncertainty and curiosity, but generally leaving the pondering to the others as he stewed in fear of what would happen to him when they found out.

He was brought out of remembering his peers' reactions when Tsunade exited Kurenai's room looking tired as hell.

"She delivered successfully; it's a boy!" she said with a weary smile. Naruto almost shouted with joy, but kept himself controlled and simply adopted a curious and relieved smile.

"You can all come visit, but keep it quiet!" the Godaime hissed. The thirteen assembled shinobi and kunoichi nodded and quietly crept towards the delivery room. They funneled in one at a time, and all nearly melted at the scene that greeted them.

Kurenai lay in her bed, looking rather frazzled, clad in a white hospital gown and clutching a white-wrapped bundle. Poking out from the bundle was a pudgy little face, blissfully asleep. Naruto nearly fainted at the beauty of the scene.

Everyone else was studying the newborn's face.

While not the most distinguishable, the little boy's cone-shaped head had a few small wisps of hair visible among the clots of blood and placental fluid. The hairs were a bright, dirty blonde.

'_Dirty blonde hair? Who in the world...'_ Sakura's train of thought reached a junction where the answer just didn't make sense.

Imagine the surprise of every person in the room when the baby stirred and opened his bleary little eyes. They were not Kurenai's gorgeous red, as everyone expected them to be. The child's eyes were a vivid violet that seemed to pierce like a lightning bolt.

'_Purple eyes... Wait... could this kid be...?' _Tsunade's eyes widened as the 'Suspected Father Pool' became exponentially smaller. Her theory was only made correct as something both striking and shocking became apparent.

Out of nowhere, four dark horizontal lines phased into existence along the child's cheeks.

Almost like whiskers.

The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to grow ten times louder as the two lines on the child's cheeks phased in. Fourteen sets of eyes widened, and fourteen heads slowly creaked to the right, left, backwards or down to stare at the only male blonde shinobi in Konoha who would still want children at the current time.

Kurenai winced as she prepared for Naruto's forthcoming denial, but was pleasantly surprised when he simply gave a resigned smile and began a slow stride towards her side. Everyone remained silent.

"What can I say," Naruto began, leaning down and catching Kurenai's upturned lips in a short kiss. When he retracted his head, his colleagues and superiors simply looked even more stunned.

"I'm hot for teacher." Naruto finished with a cheeky grin.

Sakura's mouth dropped open as she processed what she had just learned: _Naruto_ was the father of _Kurenai-sensei's child_! White-hot fury bubbled up inside of her as well as an overwhelming urge to punch Naruto for a reason she couldn't understand until she stopped and studied it, coming to a horrifying conclusion.

She was _jealous_! Naruto seemed to notice and shrugged his shoulders with a head shake as if to silently say 'You had your chance and you blew it.'

Sakura turned away and stormed out of the room, resisting the unquenchable urge not to cry. No more would Naruto pine for her; no more would he beg for dates; no more would he try to make her laugh to try and win her heart. She should have been relieved.

But inside, she was drowning in sorrow at the loss of someone she shouldn't have rejected.

Hinata's eyes became impossibly wide, her face drained of its little colour and she turned and fled, her sobs audible even when she was down the hall. Kurenai felt a pang of regret in her chest, but her girly-girl said it was for Hinata's good. Now, she could focus on her strength rather than winning Naruto's heart. Neji shot Naruto a glare before he left to follow Hinata.

Kiba looked like he was a dogfish. His mouth was gaping like he wanted to say something, but no noise was coming out. Shino fell over backwards, unconscious.

Shikamaru's mouth had fallen open, Chouji had dropped his bag of chips and Ino looked like she wanted to scream at Naruto. In a surprising stroke of intelligence, Gai and Lee took hold of Team Ten and pried them out of the room.

Tenten simply kept flicking her brown eyes from Kurenai, to the baby, to Naruto and back. It was as though she couldn't comprehend what she had just learned.

Kakashi began a slow walk up to Naruto. The blonde was unsure of what was going to happen until Kakashi dropped to his knees and kneeled before Naruto.

"I humbly revere thy deeds Sensei, and beseech thee to pass thy knowledge of sed-" Kakashi was cut off when Tsunade bopped him on the head, knocking him out cold.

Now, Naruto started to get afraid. He prepared for the mother of all beatings, but felt no blows. He cracked his closed eyes to see Tsunade... smiling at him?

"Congratulations Naruto," she whispered, again planting a kiss on his forehead.

"Th-that's it? No outraged thrashing?" Naruto squeaked. Tsunade tittered.

"If you make Kurenai happy and she willingly had your baby, I'm more than okay with that." Tsunade answered. Naruto positively glowed before he began to speak again.

"Baa-chan," he said, still using that annoying nickname, "would you do me the honour of... being my son's godmother?" he asked. Tsunade looked stunned before her face split into a wide smile.

"I would love to," she said, sweeping him into a gentle hug. Naruto mirrored her smile, as did Kurenai.

"We still have to name him." she reminded her lover, who perked up and refocused his attention on the baby. Somehow, Tenten, Kiba, Kakashi and Shino had mysteriously vanished. Naruto's face was screwed up in concentration for a moment before he opened his eyes. He had the perfect name.

"In honour of my father," Naruto began, eliciting no surprise from either of the women in the room, who knew he knew, "I think we should name him Minato II. What do you think Kanojo?" Naruto asked Kurenai. The brunette smiled happily and kissed her newborn son, who had gone back to sleep.

"Minato II it is." she said. Naruto smiled for the millionth time that hour. He finally felt as though his life was complete.

Hokage could wait. Right now, his shining light was his son.

* * *

**The end! Phew, this took well over three months to write, mostly because of distractions and lack of motivation. Tell me what you think!**

**Dirty Reid**

**(1) A Canadian term referring to a coffee with two shots of sugar and two shots of cream in it. Exclusive to Tim Hortons.**

**(2) Quote from Achmed the Dead Terrorist. **


End file.
